For instance, CCL5 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 5), a proinflammatory chemokine recruiting leukocytes to the site of inflammation, was up-regulated in U251@Env cells compared to Mock, in accordance with the up-regulation detected in patients with severe COVID-19 [38], suggesting the role of E protein in the cytokine storm. This evidence concerns the gene CCL5 and COVID-19.